Exhaust silencer for internal-combustion or other engines



Dec. 18, 1928. 1,695,375

F. HEATHER EXHAUST SILENCER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION OR OTHER ENGINES Filed Sept. 15, 1926 Z-Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec 18, 1 928. 1,695,375

F HEATHER EXHAUST SILENCER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION OR OTHER ENGINES Filed Sept. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 X eaiAe/ "1 van fa Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STAT FREDERICK HEATHER, OF FULHAM, LONDON, ENGLAND.

EXHAUST SILENCEB FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION OR OTHER ENGINES.

Application filed September 15, 1926, Serial No.

This invention relates to exhaust silencers more particularly for use with internal combustion engines, which devices, as is well known, receive the exhaust gases and act upon them so as to extract their kinetic energy with a view to minimizing the noise attendant upon their discharge into the atmosphere.

The invention has particular relation to silencers of the kind in which the gases are caused to flow in a serpentine or wave-like path during their passage from an inlet to an outlet or point of discharge.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved exhaust silencer of this kind, the improvements being particularly directed to an improved manner of constructing the apparatus whereby the same can bereadily built up and dismantled to facilitate cleaning, which may become necessary after the apparatus has been in service for some time, in order to remove deposit which may have accumulated. I

A further object of the invention is to so construct an exhaust silencer as to act on the gases passing through the apparatus in an,

i improved manner so as to reduce to a minimum back pressure on the engine and more cfliciently to extract the kinetic energy remaining in the gases. A feature of the invention consists in an exhaust silencer comprising aplurality of similar sections or units of tubular form arranged in end to end relation and adapted to provide a path for the gases of serpentine or wave-like form having the interior space of each section or unit progressively and continuously diminishing in cross-sectional area from the part where the gases enter the space to the outlet or part where they leave said space, said outlet bein located at the end of and to one side of sai space A further feature of the invention consists in an exhaust silencer comprising a plurality of similar hollow sections or unitsarranged in end to end relation and assembled in such relation in a tubular member adapted to lit the exterior of the sections, the latter being such that a path is provided for, the gases of serpentine or wave-like form.

More specifically each tubular section or unit is provided on its interior with an inclined or curved guiding or bafile surface 185,673, and in Great Britain October 3, 1925.

face extends from one side of the section or unit towards and terminates at the inner side of an outlet in the form of a restricted throat so as eventually to direct the gases to said opening or throat, whence they pass into the next unit or section, it being appreciated that the sections or units are of similar form whereby a similar action is produced as referredto above in all the sections or units.

The sections are preferably assembled together in a manner permitting their ready dismantling and it is pointed out that a further advantage flowing from the sectional or unit construction is that a silencer can be built upwith only as many of said units or sections as are necessary effectively to deal with the exhaust gases of a particular enine.

n Thus it will be understood that when the number of units or sections has been determined for a particular type of engine, other silencers adaptedto deal with the exhaust gases of similar engines can be rapidly and economically manufactured.

The reduced openings or throats may be staggered or displaced from each. other around a central longitudinal axis of the apparatus so that the gases, besides being caused to pass through the apparatus in the manner above set forth, also travel transversely so that the flow of the gases through the device may, for example, bein a somewhat zig-zag or helical manner from the inlet to the point of discharge,

In the latter case the assembled sections may be mounted for rotation together on a longitudinal axis so that the action of the flow of the gases through the apparatus will be to cause rotation of the section, which rotation as will be appreciated may be utilized in any manner desired.

I am aware that a silencer has been proposed consisting of a series of cups fitting one within another, the outer walls of the cups forming a casing and the solid. ends of the cups forming division plates or walls which were perforated alternately on opposite sidcs'to insure a. zig-zag bafliingpassage. g

It has also been proposed to form an exhaust boxer silencer of a series ofdome-like dates which had the form of pai'aboloids :t rwolution titted one into another by e ndriral rim portions and arranged so that e was an intervenin; space between each l )arabolie part of each plate was ed towards one side with small holes and the plates erearranged 50 thatthe perforated portion of each plate was opposite the unper orated portion of the adjacent plate or The plates were enclosed by a cylinder which held the plates in place by engagement with the last of the dome- -shaped ine ill Reterrh the acrznnpanying draw- Gil 'hich illue improved forms of excoir'tructed according to the leer in ren ion plan ie y of one form of the Q (2 1m ent on E" i 1. I r i s p an new partly in settion I; we 0 Hi in, i e A;

Figure (5 if; an end iew of Figure it lookingin the oirtetioa of the arrow B;

liiguree '7 anti 8 are respectivelysectional ide and end eleyations ot a modified form of or reitthat may he employed;

FQLtIQHiEl GlQffltlOIl ot a mothform of silencer and invention according to one mode there a 0 provided a plurality o? wei-t onz-s or uni-is of tuhular form and aimilazwhape. Each section or unit ie'ttully one end lrhut narrows down as shown in: the central portion to f rm at the opoai te dueed open n 0 Lire en ronie edges e or the end I), the (Z ahoye referred to of the throat are of u h that when, tor vxample. two RtflilfiPS are placed together end to end in rarer ed r on the er of the open end Z) of one section overlap and closely fit the. narrowed down portion oi? the eection n. time providing} two chambers eonnerted only by the neet ietwl open ng? or 'ing through lug,

.tions or UDltS, gases passing in at one end will flow, gene ally rousidered in a serpentme or wave-like path from one end to the :other.

The edges of the fully open end may be contained-inn plane inelined to the longi tndinzl axis and extending from one side of the v[ion to within a sh "ance of the opposite side thereof a i own in Figures 7 and S, or they may he run ed a: shown at a (Figured) while the remaining portion of the said edges may be contained in a central vertical plane. Siniilarly, the narrowed (low-1 portion kl ot' the :i-iection or not may be eontaiued i a plane similarly iin-lined in an opposit 't, eetion to the loinritudinal axis and extemling;- to the part where it lnergefi nto the throat, F gure-5 T and 8, the edges of he throat being; contained in a vertical plane sin'ii ar to the remainingport'on ot' the edges ot' the open end above roterred to. so as to he cotern'iiu lw with the latter when two seetions are placed end to end.

As will be readily understood hy so forming the sertiona or units any number thereof (according to requirements) may be placed tog-ether end to end and secured together in any Suitable manner to form a complete silencer.

'It ie to he underatood, however, that the r-iad edges of the open end of the ta ular member and the narrowed down portion need not lie contained in a plane surface but may be curved so 215 to be otS shape as shown at'i Z, Figures 1 to (l, in a manner apprinn-iale for their oyerlapping and eloeely fitting one another when placed end to end. i

A complete r ueer is. luiil up o! a number of these s:ecti(m or un ts fo med an do l)G(.l a ove and placed nd to end in s They may conreu en l lie I'-.,!'il| ll l w th n a tubular memher of suitable pro- JlSiOil being niadetor prerent nyr them from movement eudu'if-te and tron: rotation with ries'.

Fill) in the tubular member, oueh pro oion br m! v seinicireular n cro9s-:- eotion. each part having a pair oi urs 1' and "llwo of these parts whirh may he o3 heet meta are earned otherwise Feoured together along their edgea I: and by IULMIR of bolts extend- U and 1' they are clamped to the tubular inemher 'lhe parts formin;- the end pieces are preferably each pro vided with a shoulder to abutthe end of the tubular lliEllllQI i=o a? t t tacilitate proper aaeemhly and i'e:n-1; i1\l,1ly oi the end bra 2rd or pieces withthe tubular member g, while a second shoulder :11 is provided for the end piece that is secured tothe exhaust pipe so as to facilitate its proper assembly therewith. The construction described provides a convenient manner of readily assembling and dismantling the apparatus, the device being secured to the exhaust pipe of the motor in any appropriate and well-known manner. It is to be understood, however, that the end pieces may be cast as a whole, if desired.

According to a modified form of the invention the sections together with the tubular member may be mounted to rotate on the end pieces asshown diagrammatically in Figure 9, in which the tubular member g is mounted for rotation on ball or other suitable bearings mounted in said end pieces. The throats are then arrangedin a helical manner around the axis of the tube as shown in dotted lines.

A part of the kinetic ener of the exhaust gases will thus be expende in rotating the sections or units and said tubular member, it being understood that this rotation can be utilized for any purpose desired.

It is to be understood, however, that such spacing of the throats may also be employed in the case in which the sections are fixed so that the gases besides moving in a path of serpentine or wave-like form, will also be caused to travel transversely across the chamber when passin from one throat through a chamber to t e next throat.

I further contemplate building up a silencer composed of a number of elements each of which consists of a plurality of said sections orunits arranged end to end, and securing said elements together side by side and providing them with a common inlet and outlet so as to divide the gasesinto a plural- 1 ity of streams of serpentine or wave-like form, which discharge. into a common outlet. This form of the invention is shown in Fig ures 2 and 3 in which two elements are provided, each of which consists of a tubular element within which are arranged a plurality of sections or units in the mannerdescribed above. The end pieces, however, in this form of the invention are in the form of breeches pieces as illustrated in F i re 11, so as to provide a common inlet an outlet for the gases which flow in parallel through the two elements.

The elements ma be arranged as shown in Figure 3 so that the length of the path for the gases in the individual elements difiers slightl as, for example, by varying the numher 0 sections or units in each element, whereby the streams of ases are not synchronized so that the final exit from the individual elements takes lace in cyclic order instead of simultaneous y, thereby produc-, ing a constant or even flow of the gases through the common outlet. This arrangement reduces the pulsation of the discharge of the gases considerably and renders such discharge almost noiseless.

The individual sections or units may be formed from short lengths of tubing of appropriate gauge which are cut and pressed to the shape above referred to but it is to be understood that they may be made in any other convenient manner as by castin or stamping from sheet metal and bending t cm into the desired shape or in any other appropriate manner.

It is to be understood that the shape and ranged in end to end abutting relation and adapted to provide for the gases an undivided path of wave-like form having the interior space of each section progressively and continuously diminishing in cross-sectional area from the part where the gases enter the space to the part where they leave said space the last mentioned part constituting an outlet and being located at an end of and to one side of said space.

2. An exhaust silencer comprising a plurality of similar hollow sections arranged in end to end abutting relation and assembled in such relation in a tubular member adapted to fit the exterior of the sections, the interior of the latter being such that an undivided path is provided of wave-like form.

3. An exhaust silencer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reduction in cross-sectional area is produced by a curved baflle surface which extends from the part where the gases enter the space to the outlet.

4. An exhaust silencer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said sections are such that opposite side thereof to the outlet where they leave said space. i

5. An exhaust silencer as claimed in claim 1,, wherein said reduction in cross-sectional area is producedb'y a baflle surface of S shape. v

6. An exhaust silencer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sections are of a shape such that they are adapted to overlap each other longitudinally when placed end to end.

7. An exhaust silencer as claimed in claim 1,'Wl1818l1'l said sections overlap each other in such a manner that the end edges of each section remote from the reduced outlet overlap and fit against the reduced portion of 1311 adjacent section, which, reduced portion ranged side by, side and provided with a by l its 1 interior surfuce ;pl'()Vl(lQS1iL curved common inlet adapted; to conduct the gases .lialllingeurfz ce. v in, parallel to the elements. 8. An exhaust silenceras claimed in claim Intestimony whereof I have signed my 1, comprising ,a plurality 0f elements each name, to this specification.

comprising =21; plurality of such sections atranged -end-to end said elements being ar- FREDERICK HEATHER. 

